USS Columbus Watch, Quarter, and Station Bill
31 August 2007 19:09

A while back I had digital photographs made of the entire contents of the Watch, Quarter, and Station Bill of the USS Columbus from the Navy Department Library. The book was essentially a duty roster kept on board the USS columbus during the voyage when Eph Hanks was aboard. I've had a CD with the images for a while now, and have planned to put them up on the wiki over time, but haven't quite got there yet.

In an effort to make them available all the same, I've created a Raw Data section of this website, where I'm uploading all the images for whoever wants to look at them. Ephraim is mentioned a couple of times in the pages. He can be found on page 9, and on page 35.

On page 9 are listed those sailors assigned to the fore top (the first platform on the forward mast of the ship). We also learn that Eph was assigned hammock number 209 and his "rate" or rank was 1.c.b, or "first-class-boy" (Eph was 16 when he came aboard). Also of interest on page 9, we see him listed next to a William Reed. From Scouting From the Mormons (hopefully soon to be reprinted, more details as that comes along) we learn that Bill Reed was Eph's buddy he worked with on the Erie Canal, and with whom he joined the Navy. Bill later went on to work at a hotel in Chicago, which Eph visited in later years.

On page 35, we see Eph's assignment when the crew practiced "exercising the great guns."

Lots of good stuff there and the pictures give us a further glimpse of what the ship looked like. I hope someday to be able to get all these images organized in the wiki, with full transcriptions of all the info. Someone out there is probably also looking for ancestors who served on board.

Enjoy!